Rocky Mountain Micro Machining

MEMS fabrication process development and rapid prototyping services

EST. 2019 - 2024

We build MEMS, Fast.

EST. 2019 - 2024

We build MEMS, Fast.

01.

WHO WE ARE

Founded in September of 2019, Rocky Mountain Micro Machining (RM3) is a Canadian microfabrication company specializing in MEMS process development, rapid prototyping and low volume manufacturing services.

02.

OUR VISION.

In the MEMS industry, there is an enormous gap between initial proof of concept/prototyping, and high volume manufacturing. RM3's vision is to bridge this gap, providing our customers with the highest quality MEMS products and services, at competitive prices, while providing an exceptional customer service experience.

03.

OUR VALUES.

We pride ourselves in our passion, creativity, determination, and resilience. We embrace difficulty and understand that innovative devices demand hard work and creative solutions. If it was easy, everyone would do it. We are a scrappy bunch that understand what it takes to get things done.

From small scale academic projects to larger scale, fast paced, high tech start-ups, we have enabled numerous customers across several industries.

our space.

RM3 operates mainly out of a 22,000 square foot cleanroom, characterization and laboratory facility located on the University of Alberta campus, nestled in the heart of the River Valley in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We have access to over $110 million in specialized equipment and infrastructure including over 200 pieces of equipment providing complete capabilities for microscopy, spectroscopy, materials analysis, lithography, thin-film deposition, wet/dry etching, and wafer bonding. Current renovation will increase cleanroom workspace from 3,400 square feet to 5,500 square feet.

Working With Us

RM3 focuses on four areas of expertise designed to provide our customers with an uninterrupted path from early-stage design, proof of concept, and rapid prototyping to manufacturing in low to medium volumes, significantly reducing costs and time to market.

01.

Process Development

We strive to develop clever fabrication processes that meet our customers requirements, with the ultimate goal of converging on a process that is robust, cost effective and amenable to manufacturing in large volume.

03.

Low-Medium Volume Production

RM3 is able to provide our customers with a stable supply of MEMS products to support further development and commercial activities. During this phase we continue to refine the fabrication process, making improvements that render it more amenable to manufacturing and process transfer to a high volume manufacturing facility.

02.

Rapid Prototyping

In the early stages of development, time can be critical in cycling through design concepts and fabrication strategies. We pride ourselves in iterating on these cycles as quickly as possible getting working prototypes into our customers hands for testing, accelerating the feedback loop to quickly converge on a design or process that is amenable to fabrication in larger volume.

04.

Technology Transfer

RM3 has partnership arrangements with well-established MEMS foundries for high volume manufacturing of MEMS products. We actively engage in and facilitate the process transfer to our foundry partner, ensuring a seamless transition from early development to high volume manufacturing, while providing our customers with an interrupted supply of MEMS products. Upon transfer, our customers can continue to rely on RM3 as a reliable second source.

01.

Process Development

02.

Rapid Prototyping

03.

Low-Medium Volume Production

04.

Technology Transfer

Our Capabilities

From small scale academic projects to larger scale, fast paced start-up projects, we have enabled many customers across several industries.

Lithography

Contact and non-contact

See Example

Thin Film Deposition and Growth

Evaporation – Sputter – LPCVD – PECVD – ALD – Thermal Oxidation

See Example

Plasma Etch and Removal Tools

RIE – ICPRIE – Vapor HF – XeF2

See Example

Thin Film Patterning

Metal Etch – Liftoff – Shadow Masking

See Example

Glass and Silicon Wet Etch

KOH – TMAH - HF

See Example

Wafer Bonding

Anodic – Thermocompression – Eutectic - Polymer

See Example

Dicing and Drilling

See Example

Lithography

Contact and non-contact

Overview

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Overview

Contact – Direct Write – E-beam

Dedicated 1000 sq. ft. vibration isolated lithography area for ultra violet, electron beam and laser writing capabilities. 5” and 7” photomask fabrication services.

Heidelberg MLA 150 (direct write)
SUSS MA/BA6 Mask/Bond Aligner (contact)
Heidelberg DWL-200 Pattern Generator
Raith Voyager Ultra-High resolution EBL system.
Laurell/Headway Spinner/Hotplate Systems (x2)
Cee 200CB Coat-Bake System (x2)
Sono-Tek ExactaCoat Spray Coater
YES HMDS Vapor Prime Oven
Brewer Spinner and Hotplate
Stir-Kool SK-12D (cold plate)
Dymax BlueWave 200
Litho Develop Wet Deck (x2)
Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT
Yamato Bake Oven

Example 1

Contact – Direct Write – E-beam

4 µm dots on a 4 µm pitch, reactive ion etched into a thermal oxide layer. Extensive areas of defect-free patterned features.

Example 2

Contact – Direct Write – E-beam

A - Patterned gold bond pads/traces/electrodes on a borofloat glass substrate. B - Enlarged view at convergence point of 20 electrode traces. 20 x 10 µm gold electrodes on a 20 µm pitch.

Example 3

Contact – Direct Write – E-beam

200 µm tall silicon posts etched inside a 200 µm deep trench. Pattern transfer on surfaces with high topographical variations.

Testimonials

We believe in letting our clients' experiences speak for themselves. Here's what some of them have to say.

“RM3's ability to create designs and deliver prototypes quickly significantly accelerated our product development activities and time to market. I particularly appreciated their collaborative approach to understanding our application and fine tuning their approach in a thoughtful way to optimize for our application.”

Armon Sharei, PhD, CEO of Portal Biotechnologies

RM3 has been a pivotal factor in the successful development and commercialization of our microelectronics technology. RM3 brings world-class expertise in microfabrication and fast prototyping, making them an invaluable part of our team. Their ability to work seamlessly with startups like ours, combined with their supportive nature, has ensured smooth and productive collaboration. RM3's fair and transparent invoicing, along with their unwavering commitment to meeting deadlines, sets them apart in the industry. We look forward to continued collaboration with RM3

Thomas Jones, PhD, CEO of JM

OUR CUSTOMERS

We have served a variety of customers in the biomedical, aerospace, microelectronic, telecommunications, and RF industries. From small scale academic projects to large scale, fast paced, high tech start-ups, we have enabled many customers across several industries.

Let’s Chat!

If you would like to learn more about our services, capabilities or how RM3 can help you, just send us a message to get started. We’d love to hear from you.